Monday, April 17, 2006

Dear Jim

Remember...back in the day when I wanted you to backdoor into the Dell and see what was going on, and you wouldn't because it was illegal?

Guess what? It's not illegal anymore. And now with emachines, Windoze XP offers Remote Assistance, just like you had heard it would back before it arrived.

And guess what else? It's really, really hackable. I mean, like, go on the Internet two times running Mcafee hackable. Also just like you said it would be, given that XP was going to allow for remote system administration.

Imagine that! Think of how many people don't even understand the many vulnerabilities of the Microcrap XP system, and who don't know networks from knockwurst. Why, they'd never even know there was a problem, or system files were completely compromised, changed, or removed. They couldn't run a netstat to see the computer IP addresses connected to their own, or understand why they can't view the contents of their network (that they didn't even know they had to begin with.) And when their D drive first goes from Fat32 to NTFS, and then disappears entirely, well...you can imagine their utter astonishment.

Did you also know that you can set permissions on the XP registry as well as view all the other users of your computer who somehow have more permissions than the computer owner? You probably know that by now. How does a house of three people, only two of whom used the Internet for a total 3 hours apiece, wind up with six computer users listed? You'll have to clue me in on that one.

As an aside, did you know that where your lovely computer tech shop (and I use lovely most loosely, of course) there's now an automotive repair shop, and they paved your gravel and flowers parking lot? I pass it once a month on my way to collect printouts at Lorain muni -- and like my aunt's old house, we'd never recognize either.

By the way, the 220 line you installed just for the computer? Works fine. Power's on. Computer's back at Best Buy, and the old Dell is dead, but the power's on. Insert winking smiley here.

So, where are you when I need you, Jim Brooks? Last I heard Nevada, after your motorcycle accident and having to learn to walk all over again. Remember, you said you wished I were there? Well...now the shoe is on the other foot. Like the first time we met, only moreso. You helped me then, and like the saying goes "Obi Wan, you're my only hope."

So call. Or write. Or visit me at the library computer terminal. But whatever you do, don't email. Not just yet.